Viewing: current News Article

Posted: Friday 23 February, 2018

Next Stage Youth Enrolment Sunday 4th March 4.30pm at The Mission Theatre.

Next Stage Youth (NSY) is delighted to announce that the company is expanding and is welcoming new recruits on Sunday 4th March 4.30-6pm. Anyone aged 11-18 is welcome. There are no auditions and newcomers are invited to attend a couple of 'taster sessions' before committing to the company. NSY meets throughout the year on term-time Sundays at The Mission Theatre. The 90 minute sessions cost just £12 each, meaning that the fee for a 10-week term is £120. To find out more, or express an interest in enrolling contact Ann Ellison 01225 428600.

NSY Company Class of 2018

Next Stage Youth was started by Artistic Director Ann Ellison 24 years ago and has always been a source of fun, friendship and invaluable professional training in all aspects of performing arts for hundreds of young people from Bath and beyond. Many have gone on to work professionally within the industry, but for the majority of Next Stage Youthers the confidence, team work, support and friendships they enjoy every week bring the greatest benefits. Next Stage Youth members have the opportunity to perform in at least 2 fully-staged productions a year, appearing in their own theatre: The Mission in central Bath. NSY are trained and supported by talented adult actors from the parent company, Next Stage, as they take on challenging scripts, and have the chance to perform in cutting-edge dramas.

NSY Members in His Dark Materials Parts 1 & 2 (2018)

NSY Members in Great Expectations (2017)

Georges Boutin and Hugo Worrall in Goodnight Mister Tom (2017)

From this March, Next Stage Youth members will begin working on an all-time classic, The Railway Children, to be performed in the October half term 2018. Written by E. Nesbit and adapted for the stage by Mike Kenny, this play will use actors from both Next Stage and Next Stage Youth - an experience relished by both old and young members and one which provides a unique opportunity within Bath theatre groups.

Members of NSY are offered bursaries of up to £1000 a year from the Come You Giants (CYG) fund set up in 2012 by the parent company, Next Stage. The fund is open to all members of Next Stage Youth who have been in the company for at least a year. The bursary was set up to help young and talented actors who wish to pursue further training in performing arts and has been a major success since its launch in May 2012. Recipients of the CYG bursary have been able to partake in inspiring trips, workshops and summer schools, helping them pursue their future ambitions. Keterina Petmezas, recipient of a bursary in 2017 used the money awarded to her to embark on a summer school last year where she learned valuable skills in movement, voice and characterisation. Whilst there she got the amazing opportunity to play Madam Von Tassel in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Katerina says: “I’m very grateful for the support I received from the Come You Giants bursary to give me the opportunity to spend my summer surrounding myself in the world of theatre. I believe the experience as a whole has strengthened my understanding of what it is like to work in theatre and opened many doors for me in the future. I can’t thank Next Stage enough.”

Katerina Petmezas CYG recipient 2017

2016 CYG recipient Kris Rose used a bursary to help fund attendance at a RADA Contemporary Summer school. Kris says: “Going on this course would not have been possible for me without the CYG bursary and I am eternally grateful for you allowing me this opportunity. The implications from completing this course are astounding and it has opened up a lot of doors to me that would have otherwise been firmly shut.”

Kris Rose CYG recipient 2016

Next Stage Youth provides unforgettable opportunities for all its members, frequently taking young actors on tour to The Minack Theatre in Cornwall - a unique venue situated on the cliffs at Porthcurno. In 2015, NSY members performed at The Minack in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and in 2017 were involved in Next Stage Theatre Company’s moving production Birdsong performing to sell-out houses. Next Stage is delighted to announce that the company will be touring down to The Minack again in 2019, providing even more amazing opportunities for youthers to perform in this spectacular and magical venue.

Ben Armstrong and Jenny McGlynn in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Both actors were receipients of CYG bursaries in 2015